The Devils' fire sale continued on NHL trade deadline day as they dealt goalie Keith Kinkaid to the Columbus Blue Jackets and winger Marcus Johansson to the Boston Bruins on Monday.
New Jersey, which owns the Eastern Conference's worst record (24-30-8), acquired a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 for Kinkaid. For Johansson, the Devils are receiving a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-rounder. They will pay 40 percent of Johansson's remaining salary.
Kinkaid, 29, had spent his entire six-year career with the Devils, playing in 151 games (132 starts) while allowing 3.36 goals per game and recording a .906 save percentage.
Kinkaid, strictly a backup up until then, stepped in last season for a banged-up and ineffective Cory Schneider and was instrumental in helping the Devils reach the postseason. He had a 26-10-3 record, a 2.77 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
This season, however, the Long Island native has struggled, posting a .336 GAA and .891 save percentage -- both career worsts. The Devils were 15-18-6 with him in net.
"Keith's play throughout last season, especially his performance down the stretch, was key in leading this club to the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs," Devils general manager Ray Shero said in a statement. "He was part of this team's eventual transformation since he took over a regular role in 2014-15 and we greatly appreciate his efforts over his time here."
USA Today Sports Images The Devils added Johansson, 28, in a July 2017 trade with the Washington Capitals. He, however, struggled to stay healthy in his nearly two years in New Jersey, where he skated in 77 games and had 17 goals and 41 points. Johansson has been on a hot streak in recent weeks, however, registering six goals and six assists in his last 13 games.
"Marcus is a quality player, a top-six talent at forward with great vision and patience with the puck," Shero said. "His style of play, dedication as a teammate and professionalism has had a great influence on our club. He bought into our culture right away and took players under his wing to teach them to be pros on a daily basis."
Both Kinkaid and Johansson will become free agents after this season. They are the third and fourth players Shero has dealt in recent weeks. On Saturday, they traded defensman Ben Lovejoy to the Dallas Stars for 24-year-old defenseman Connor Carrick and a 2019 third-round draft pick. On Feb. 6, they sent center Brian Boyle to the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick in 2019.